Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
Came across this in St James's Cemetery today - rather sad
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Very sad Paul - just 4 1/2 years old.
Couldn't drown in their now though, shame there's no money to repair it.
Roger
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
IN BRIEF (well over 2 columns) Dover Telegraph 15 May 1912 says:
Arthur Edward Wright, 4 years 7 months, old son of newsagent Arthur Sidney Wright of New Place, Clarence Place, Dover.
The child strayed into Connaught Park with another child of about his own age.. body being recovered by Park Supt. Mr. I.Berry...
Father said he knew nothing as to how he got into the water, he last saw him at about 11am in Townwall Street with another boy. His wife the mother was going to London on a half day excursion that day.
Three other children in the family, it was intended to leave the children with the girl, his wife taking the youngest with her.. he looked for the child in St James St and back of the house and could not find him, when he returned to dinner about five to one o'clock the child had not been heard of and at once went to the police station on his bicycle and reported him missing.
When he heard that a body had been found he identified the body at the mortuary. The child was in the habit of playing about the house and he could not understand how he should have gone up to the park. He condemned the exposed condition of the pond in the park and said that day he had been up there and actually saw another youngster lying on his stomach playing with the water in the pond and he really thought that something should be done for the safety of the children. Coroner to the father: "I quite agree with you about the condition of this pond."
Witness, Daisy Cauldwell, a servant girl, on Pleasant Row, Durham Hill, said: she was near the pond with a baby in a pushcart about quarter to 12 when she saw two little boys playing with the water with sticks, she told them to get away from the water and they did so. She then went to the other end of the park and as she was about to return she heard a scream. When she got there there was another boy crying. She could not see anything in the water.
Park Supt. said that the nurse girl called and told him about one she thought was missing. He did find a body with a landing net and tried artificial respiration. He said he had worked there for a long time and quite a lot of children had gone into the water... might get half a dozen fall in during the season....
There were 5 keepers employed who continually crossed and re-crossed by the pond... never heard of a drowning case there before...
The Coroner said there was no fault and was a case of misadventure as far as he could see. He did comment the more unfortunate part was that the mother had gone to London and the father had left the child and there were lots of other things to be considered.
The Coroner did say he was not surprised there had been a fatality and wondered that there had not been before.
The Jury returned verdict of accidental death with suggestion for an un-climeable fence and if the children would play there it would be better to leave a little space at the bottom where they might put their hands under.
One comment was to sow grass seed where the pond was sited.
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
Very interesting Kath.
Connaught Park is a long walk from Townwall Street for two youngsters like that.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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